


Overheard

by aschicca



Series: 2 1/2 Men 'verse [1]
Category: Queer as Folk US
Genre: M/M, post-513
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-31
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-02 19:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aschicca/pseuds/aschicca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life had a weird way of fixing itself sometimes. It could rob a man of a son and a partner in a matter of days… only to give them both simultaneously back to him a couple of years later.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Overheard

Life had a weird way of fixing itself sometimes. It could rob a man of a son and a partner in a matter of days… only to give them both simultaneously back to him a couple of years later. It could happen just like that. It happened to Brian Kinney.

One day, coming home from work, Brian had automatically checked the answering machine and, suddenly, the wheel had started turning in a different way. There were two messages waiting for him in the machine.

_“Hey, Brian, it’s Lindsay. Listen… do you remember when I told you that Mel had been offered a job from a firm in Pittsburgh? Well, she got the job and… we’re coming home. We already told Michael, and he’s over the moon to have his little honeybun back. I tried to reach you on your cell but it’s turned off… Anyway, we’ll be there at the end of the week so… what? No, honey, wait… I’m… okay, okay… Brian, Gus wants to… DADDY!!!! Mommy says we’re coming to live where you live! Can we have sleepovers? With Justin, too? And can I have ice cream and pancakes for dinner? And… Brian, it’s me again. As you probably guessed, Gus is pretty excited, too. Well, why don’t you call us when you hear this message?”_

Brian hadn’t remembered laughing more freely and wholeheartedly in his entire life. He had to sit at his desk because, weirdly enough, his legs had started to give out, and he had refused to analyze the reason why his chest had felt lighter all of a sudden. 

When the second message had started playing, Brian had been relieved to be already sitting.

_“Told you I’m a fucking genius. Got the solo show. Aren’t you proud? Start cleaning up my drawer ‘cause I’ll be home soon. Later! Oh, and why the fuck aren’t you answering your cell?”_

If asked about it, he would certainly deny it ever happened, but Brian had sat there replaying those two messages over and over for a long time.

***

Two months later, Brian was sitting on his sofa, reading a newspaper with one eye and watching his son eat cereal with the other.

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Can I go wake Justin now?”

Glancing towards his bedroom where Justin lay on his stomach, the sheets barely covering his back, Brian replied, “No, Gus. Let him sleep.” He could see that Gus wasn’t really happy with that plan, but his son didn’t insist. For the moment.

Brian had just started reading again when...

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Why can’t I have pancakes for breakfast?”

“You heard your Mom, Gus. _I’m_ supposed to give you cereal.”

“But, Daddy…”

“I wasn’t finished, sonny boy,” Brian said, looking seriously at Gus. The little boy nodded, so he continued, “So, the sooner you finish your cereal, the sooner I can dress you up and we can go to the diner where _Deb_ will feed you all the pancakes you can eat.” 

Gus’ eyes opened wide while he took in what his father had just said; then he tilted his head, smiled brightly and said, “You are smart, Daddy!” 

Brian nodded, then said, “Well, eat up,” and he hid his smirking face back in the newspaper.

*

Justin had been awake since Gus’ first question. He had considered getting up but, when Gus started talking again, he decided to feign sleep and listen to Brian’s answer. At the moment, he was pretty happy his face was smashed into the pillow because otherwise he’d never be able to muffle his laughter.

When Gus’ third question came, Justin thought there was no harm in letting them think he was still asleep while he listened in.

*

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“There’s this girl at school, her name’s Tammy. She says I’m her boyfriend.”

Brian abandoned his newspaper to look fully at his son. “And what do you think about it, Gus?”

Gus shrugged, “I’m not sure. My friend Sam says that I’m lucky because, when he was her boyfriend, Tammy did all his homework for him.”

Brian raised an eyebrow and asked, “Exactly how many boyfriends does this girl have?”

“One, Daddy, didn’t you listen to me? I am her boyfriend now. She only has one at a time!” Gus finished, looking at Brian like he was concluding that his dad was not as smart as he had previously thought.

“Oh,” Brian commented, “Now I see. Well, does she kiss all her boyfriends?”

Gus, mouth opened wide, yelled, “Kissing? With a girl? No! Girls are _gross_ , Daddy!” He then proceeded to make retching noises.

“That’s my sonny boy,” Brian nodded, tongue in cheek.

*

Justin briefly asked himself if it could be possible for one to die suffocated by one’s own pillow while trying to stifle a laugh.

*

“Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Are you happy that I’m living in Pittsburgh now?”

“Yes, Gus, of course I am,” Brian answered, caressing his son’s head. “Why do you ask?”

Gus shrugged, “Did you miss me?”

“I did, yes.”

“You didn’t come visit me often, though, when I was in Toronto. Why is that?”

Closing his eyes, Brian sighed. “Gus, do you remember what happened when JR’s teacher told her she couldn’t take her favourite doll to school with her?”

Gus rolled his eyes, “You mean the yelling, the screaming, _and_ the kicking?” Chuckling, Brian nodded. “Yep, I remember.”

“What was the worst part for JR?”

Gus pondered Brian’s question for a moment. “Leaving her doll?”

“Yes, exactly. She knew she’d get her doll back once she’d come home, but all the same when she had to leave her… she couldn’t. Sometimes, even if you know you’ll always have something you love waiting for you, the pain of having to leave it behind becomes too much. Do you understand what I mean, Gus?”

Gus took his father’s hand in his little one, and squeezed. “I understand, Daddy,” he said, solemnly, and then leaned against Brian’s side.

Brian held him, eyes tightly closed.

*

Justin shifted on his side while listening to Brian’s and Gus’ conversation. He somehow started to feel guilty about spying on a very private moment between the two of them, but he couldn’t help but being interested in Brian’s answers. 

He was about to get up, and make his awareness known, when Gus spoke again and his question stopped Justin dead in his tracks.

*

“Daddy?” Gus asked, leaning back from his father’s embrace.

“Yes, Gus.”

“Why don’t you ever tell Justin that you love him? I mean, you tell me all the time… well, when I ask you to… but still you tell me! And you tell Mommy, and Uncle Michael… Why don’t you ever tell Justin?”

Brian opened and closed his mouth a few times.

“Daddy? Did I say something wrong?” Gus asked, worriedly.

“No, of course not.”

“Then will you answer me, Daddy?”

“I... Justin knows, Gus. Just like you know. You do, don’t you?”

“Know that you love me?” Gus asked, and Brian nodded. “Yes, I do, Daddy. But it’s good when you tell me. Doesn’t Justin like hearing you say it?”

“I… Would think that he does, Gus, yes.”

“Then why don’t you say it?”

“I’m not used to saying it, Gus, that’s all,” Brian said, and his voice had a note of finality in it. Unfortunately for him, a seven-year-old couldn’t pick up on it.

“But you say it to me! And to Mommy! And I heard you say it to Uncle Michael, too!”

Brian rubbed his face and sighed. “Gus, there are different kinds of love, and different ways to show it. I don’t love your Mommy like I love you, for example, and I’m sure you don’t love your friend Sam like you love me, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gus thought about Brian’s question for a while before answering. “Yes, Daddy, I agree. You’re my dad and Sam is my friend. It’s different.”

“Yes, it is. So, don’t you think that, if you love two people in a different way, you might show it in a different way, too?”

Gus nodded, face serious. But then his little face clouded with confusion again, and he asked, “But you show it the same way to me and Mommy and Uncle Michael. Is Justin the only one that’s different?”

Realizing that his son was too smart for his – and Brian’s – own good, Brian shook his head. “You’re right, Gus, Justin is different, and while telling you or your mom that I love you is not hard for me, it is when it’s about him.”

“Why?”

“Because he… Because I… It’s just complicated, Gus, okay? But believe me when I tell you that he knows. I’m not saying he wouldn’t _like_ me to tell him more often, but he doesn’t _need_ me to say it. Justin knows, Gus.”

Gus looked up at his father’s face and said, “I understand, Daddy.”

Brian smiled, relieved, and the smile turned into a chuckle when Gus said, “Can’t you say it to me so that I’ll be the one to tell Justin?”

“That is a great plan, sonny boy,” Brian said, and Gus nodded expectantly. 

“So tell me, Daddy.”

“Gus,” Brian said, “Would you please go to daddy’s bedroom and tell the man that is pretending not to listen to our conversation that I love him?”

At that, Gus squeaked with excitement and ran towards the bedroom.

*

Justin sat up on the bed and gathered Gus in his arms. He was only half listening to the boy telling him what his father had said. His eyes, strangely moist, were fixed on Brian, and Justin smiled brightly at him.

Brian smiled back.


End file.
